The City Beneath
by Katie Marie
Summary: A story about a mining incident that leaves a whole town missing. My first fic. R&R please :)
1. Chapter 1

Foreward, Author note, thing: This takes place 2 years after the game. There are 3 characters…(well more than that but 3 that are important), that I made up. Kali Zenobia is the first one. She's a girl in SOLDIER. In the game it was all guys so…yeah, anyway. The second is Caleb Ainsley. Kali is originally from Junon, and Caleb is a mercenary type guy, no one really knows where the heck he came from and there's Orion, but you'll find out about him while read. Anyway, I'll shut up now. ^-^  
  
  
  
1 Chapter 1  
  
  
  
"Tifa," a muffled voice cried out. "Tifa!" It sounded like it was underwater. "Hey, Tifa!" it got louder. Something shook her. Startled, she jumped out of bed screaming. "Hey, hey! Calm down!" The voice said. Now that she wasn't that groggy with sleep, she recognized it. She turned her head to see a young man with spiked blonde hair grinning at her from the corner of her room. She felt heat rise up to her face. "Well…don't I feel stupid." She thought to herself.  
  
"Cloud, How did you get in here?" She asked sitting back down on her bed, suddenly feeling tired again.  
  
"Through the door." He answered smiling. He had changed so much since…  
  
"This better be important." She said gruffly. She didn't like to be woken up. The smiled faded off his face. It was like he had forgotten what he went there for until she said anything.  
  
"It is." He said looking down.  
  
"You didn't take another job again did you?" Cloud had been lending out his services. Slaying monsters, and that type of thing. Just because we had saved the world everyone thought that Cloud and his friends could fix every little problem. They were supposed to be relaxing.  
  
"Well…" he began. But Tifa didn't let him finish.  
  
"Oh Cloud! If you want to take another job, fine, but count me out!" She yelled.  
  
"Hey! Would you just listen!?" Cloud shot back. "This one is important. It involves Red's home. Think of it like you're doing it for him." He walked out of the corner and sat on a chair next to her window.  
  
"What's wrong in Cosmo?" It was strange to have problems there, of all places. It was normally very calm.  
  
"This is a tough job…" he said looking out the window. She watched his eyes travel across the scenery of Nibelheim. "Everyone is coming back to help us with this one."  
  
"What?" she asked getting off the bed. She walked over to him and put a hand on his knee. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, Cid is getting in his flying thing, and picking everyone up, do you follow me so far?" He asked, teasing her, he spoke to her as if she were 2 years old, "Then he's coming here."  
  
"That isn't what I meant and you know it." She said glaring at him.  
  
"Alright, alright. Don't like, kill me or anything. I figured I'd wait 'til everyone got here and then explain everything."  
  
"Fine." She yelled and stalked over to her dresser. "Go away, I want to get dressed."  
  
"Fine…Meet me over at Vincent's." He left the room. Vincent's. She loved going there. He had redone the entire Shin-ra Mansion. It wasn't so gloomy anymore, though it wasn't bright and cheerful either. It is still where Vincent lives, and he's not one for bright colors or pastels.  
  
She pulled a blue long-sleeved shirt and black pants out of her dresser and threw them on. She ran a brush through her hair and put it in a loose ponytail. Then she grabbed her PHS off her nightstand, and headed for Vincent's. She was almost to his door when a strong wind started to pick up. She heard a rumbling noise, close in range. Cloud and Vincent stepped outside.  
  
"The cavalry arrives." Cloud said grinning. Vincent nodded stiffly. They watched as the huge airship landed outside of Nibelheim.  
  
"C'mon we should go greet them, we haven't seen them in a long time." Tifa said walking toward where the ship landed. Cloud nodded and followed. Vincent stayed behind. They were about halfway to the ship when something tackled Tifa to the ground.  
  
"Tifa! Tifa! Tifa!!!" it was screaming. Cloud grabbed it and pulled it off of her.  
  
"Nice to see you again Yuffie." Tifa said, getting to her feet. Cloud scrunched up his eyebrows and squinted at her.  
  
"That really Yuffie?" He said staring at her. "She looks so different…" he continued to squint at her, as if scrunching up his face would make him recognize her. Yuffie glared at him, and waited for him to let her go. When he didn't, she punched him in the stomach.  
  
"It's called ageing! Get over it!" she yelled. Cloud wheezed trying to breathe. Tifa laughed.  
  
"Very…" he began, but had to stop to take another huge gulp of air, "funny." That made her laugh even more.  
  
"What the hell is she laughin' at?" A deep voice came from behind her. She turned and saw the large, dark-skinned, ill tempered, Barret standing behind her.  
  
"Hey!" she yelled. She ran up and hugged him. "How's Marlene?"  
  
"There will be time for that later." Someone said.  
  
"Oh, hi Red." Tifa said. She didn't have to turn to know who it was. He walked passed her and up to Vincent's door. They all followed, no one saying a word.  
  
"Cloud, does anyone else know what has happened?" Red said taking a seat in the corner of the large room. The room was painted a pale gray. There were large windows with white silk curtains drawn over them. There were 2 staircases in the very back of the room, both leading to the same open hallway, which led to separate rooms on the second floor.  
  
"No. No one else knows." He looked down.  
  
"Well, shall I tell them?" Red asked looking up to Cloud, who was leaning on the wall next to him.  
  
"You're better at explaining than I am." He answered shrugging.  
  
"Yes…I suppose. There were miners in Cosmo Canyon. They told us they wanted to take a small sample of a rare mineral found in our mountains, and then leave to do research with it." Red looked down at his paws and took a breath before continuing. "I left, early yesterday morning. Just out for a walk. And when I returned…it was gone."  
  
"What was gone?" Yuffie asked.  
  
"Cosmo Canyon. My home. It just...was no longer there."  
  
"How can that be? How can a whole damned town, a whole damned mountain, just disappear?" Barret said from the opposite side of the room.  
  
"That, I do not know. All I know, is that, my home, the people in my village, everything….is gone." Red looked away. "I am sorry." He added, and walked outside.  
  
"This doesn't make one damned bit of sense!" Cid yelled. "A whole damned mountain can't just vanish!"  
  
"It is rather odd." Vincent said.  
  
"Odd? Damnit, it's well passed odd! It can't be true, it isn't possible. Maybe Ol' Red there is losing it. I mean….what's he 800 or somethin' like that? Alzheimer's! That's what it is! …or maybe he's just goin' senile!"  
  
"Cid…You sound good when you use big words…." Yuffie began, "but make sure you know what they mean first."  
  
"And, WHAT is that supposed to mean?!" he yelled into her face.  
  
"It MEANS that your stupid!" she yelled back.  
  
"WHAT?!" his nostrils flared, his eyes looked like they were going to pop right out, and there were veins sticking out all over his neck.  
  
"You heard me." She said calmly.  
  
"Grr……why you little-"  
  
"Cid!" Tifa yelled. "Stop acting like a child!"  
  
"But she-" he began, then he saw Yuffie mouth "Baby" at him. She stuck out her tongue. He blew a ring of smoke in her face from his cigarette. She coughed, and he laughed.  
  
"Oh brother…" Cloud said, putting a hand to his forehead.  
  
"So…what're we gonna do 'bout the cat's home?" Barret asked.  
  
"I called in two mercenaries to help us." Cloud said. "They might know a little more than we do."  
  
"There's still mercenaries around?" Yuffie asked him.  
  
"Yeah. As long as there's monsters. There'll be mercenaries." He explained.  
  
"Hmph." Barret said crossing his arms. "Bloodthirsty-"  
  
"No." Cloud said, interrupting him before he could finish. "They aren't bloodthirsty at all…most of them hate to kill. A lot of them hate blood. But they need money. And being a mercenary is one of the fastest ways to get money."  
  
"I understand." Yuffie said. Barret just frowned.  
  
"So, when are these "mercenaries" going to get here?" Tifa asked.  
  
"I think they're already here." Cid said looking out a window.  
  
"Vincent, you want to go get them?" Cloud asked, turning toward him. Vincent nodded once, and then headed outside. Red came back into the room. Everyone tried not to look at him. They didn't know how to act around him, his home has just vanished. They wanted to act sympathetic, but they knew Red wouldn't like that.  
  
Yuffie walked to the corner of the room, and slid down the wall so she was sitting on the floor. She watched Cid pace, and Barret stand, arms crossed over his chest, frowning at the floor. He always seemed mad. Then her gaze drifted to Tifa. She was watching Cloud. It was like she was mesmerized by him, her eyes never leaving him. They almost looked stuck. "She wants him sooo bad!" She thought to herself. She giggled.  
  
"What the hells wrong with you?" Cid asked looking down at her.  
  
"Nothing!" she yelled and stuck out her tongue. Cid opened his mouth to say something back but was interrupted.  
  
"Hey!" Cloud said walking to the door. Cid turned to look. Vincent walked in, 2 people following behind him. Tifa looked over to them. To her surprise, one of them was a woman. She was short, about 5'3 at best, and very thin. She was wearing a purple uniform, very much like the one Cloud used to wear. "Is she a SOLDIER? A woman in SOLDIER?" Tifa thought. She looked young too. She had fair skin and beautiful bright green eyes. Her hair was a shining auburn, her lips coated in a shimmery gloss. She was very pretty. Tifa watched the girls' eyes focus on Cloud. It angered her, she didn't know why, but it did. Cloud shook her hand. "I'm Cloud," he was saying. "This is Yuffie, Cid…" Tifa didn't listen to the rest. She looked to the other person who had followed Vincent into the room. He was tall, about 5'10. He looked very muscular. His eyes were a startling shade of blue. Almost like Cloud's Mako eyes. a lot like them actually. Only mako made eyes look that color. It was definatly not natural. His hair was a light brown. He was really cute.  
  
"I'm Kali, Kali Zenobia." The girl said. The man looked over all the people in the room, then said,  
  
"My name is Caleb Ainsley." His eyes lingered on Tifa, and it made her blush. She quickly looked down, feeling the heat rush to her face. Yuffie ran into the room, Tifa hadn't even noticed she had left.  
  
"Guys!" she screamed, panting. Everyone turned and looked at her. "I was making sure the rooms were ready for everyone, the extra ones in the basement like you told me, and…" she was talking so fast she had to stop to catch her breath, "I heard something. Something's down there."  
  
"It was prolly a rat, little girl, nothing to worry about." Barret told her.  
  
"I am NOT a little girl! And this was NOT a rat!" she yelled.  
  
"Fine," Cloud said sighing. "Vincent, come with me to see what she's talking about, and the rest of you explain what's going on."  
  
The trio walked down the spiral stairs. Even the stairs were touched up. Vincent had placed a red runner all the way down. "I know I'm special but you didn't need to roll out the red carpet for me!" Cloud exclaimed.  
  
"Cloud…" Yuffie said shaking her head. He just laughed. Once they got down the stairs, they heard what Yuffie was talking about. It was a loud banging sound, coming from the ceiling. They could hear deep breathing echoing down to them.  
  
"Whoa….that is definitely NOT a rat." Cloud said looking up toward the noise. He couldn't see a thing, it was all shadows, pitch black.  
  
"Told ya!" Yuffie yelled. There was a loud growl that sent Yuffie clinging to the arm nearest her. It was Vincent. "What…the…heck…is…that?" she stammered. Normally she wouldn't be this close to Vincent, but she was scared. She was just glad she had grabbed his real arm.  
  
"Okay…whatever it is, it's in the pipes…so… how do we get it down?" Cloud asked. Vincent shook his head.  
  
"What the heck do you want it down for!?" Yuffie asked, again yelling, she couldn't control it. Another growl came from above. She tightened her grip on Vincent's arm. Strangely, she felt very safe near him, normally she was afraid of him. She had never really given him a chance, just because he was quiet, she had found him strange and scary.  
  
"Why don't you try shooting up there? Maybe it'll scare him out." Cloud suggested.  
  
"Hope I don't put a hole in the ceiling…it'll go through to upstairs." Vincent said frowning. He raised his gun anyway. Looking down to Yuffie he said, "You may want to cover your ears." She couldn't do that with only one hand…and she wasn't letting him go, she was to afraid. Then she had an idea, she put one ear to his chest, and her free hand to her other ear. He shot one bullet. It startled Yuffie and made her body jump. The bullet hit a pipe. They heard a growl, and a mouth full of sharp teeth emerged from the shadows. 


	2. Chapter 2

1.1 Chapter 2  
  
  
  
  
  
"Oh my god!" Yuffie screamed. The mouth moved further out of the shadows, and more of the face emerged. Yuffie's fingers dug into Vincent's arm so much, it hurt her. She didn't even think about it hurting him. She was to scared. The beast growled, and moved out even further.  
  
"Cool…I didn't know you had monsters in your basement!" Cloud yelled.  
  
"Neither did I." Vincent didn't seem as excited as Cloud. The beast jumped down at them. Yuffie screamed. She stood behind Vincent, still squeezing his arm. Somehow she managed to grip him even tighter.  
  
"Please, Young lady, Stop screaming!" a voice said.  
  
"I will not stop screaming! And don't call me that Cloud!"  
  
"I didn't say that Yuffie." Cloud said looking at her, his eyes wide. Yuffie looked up to Vincent. He shook his head.  
  
"Well who said it then?!" she yelled.  
  
"I did." The voice replied. Yuffie poked her head out from behind Vincent and looked to the beast. It raised a paw and waved at her.  
  
"Oh my god!" she pulled herself closer to Vincent.  
  
"Uh…Yuffie, would you mind loosening your grip, just a little?" Vincent asked grimacing.  
  
"Oh! Sorry!" She did as he asked. Still holding is arm, she walked out from behind him. "So…what are you?" she asked the beast. She realized it looked gentle. Kind of cute even. It looked…familiar, somehow, if monsters could.  
  
"I am Orion. Pleased to meet you." It said, bowing it's head.  
  
"Uh-huh…but what are you?" she asked again.  
  
"Yuffie!" Cloud scolded quietly. "I'm Cloud, that's Vincent. And, she's Yuffie." He looked at the creature, closely, as if studying it. "So uh…you can talk." He said at last.  
  
"Yes." The creature said laughing. "I can talk." It hit her. The monster looked familiar because of,  
  
"Red!" she yelled. The creature grimaced.  
  
"Don't yell. It hurts." It said.  
  
"Sorry…" she said blushing, "He looks like Red! Look Cloud! Look!" she said excitedly.  
  
"Hey…you know…she's right." He said.  
  
"Yes…the resemblance is astonishing." Vincent added. The creature was the same size as Red. He looked just like him; only he had white stripes across his back, and had 2 eyes. One of Red's was missing.  
  
"Red?" The creature asked. "You know of another that looks like me?" Yuffie nodded.  
  
"C'mon! I'll show you!" She exclaimed. She finally released Vincent's arm. He rubbed it with his clawed hand. She noticed that the tips of her fingers were red, almost bruised; she could imagine how bad his arm was.  
  
She ran up the stairs leaving Vincent, Cloud and Orion to follow. They stood in the room the stairs entered. It was like a small parlor, with a sofa and bookshelf.  
  
"Stay here, I'll go get Red." She walked into the other room. She noticed Red in the corner. Everyone was talking about what to do about Cosmo, and didn't notice her.  
  
"Hey, Red." She said quietly. He looked over to her. She motioned with her hands for him to come over to her. He walked over. "Come here, there's someone I want you to see." She walked to the room Orion, Cloud and Vincent were in. Red followed.  
  
"This is Orion." She said smiling. Orion's eyes widened.  
  
"There is truly another like me…" he said staring at Red.  
  
"Told ya." Yuffie said, smiling triumphantly.  
  
"Why don't we go see what everyone else is up to?" Cloud suggested. Vincent went into the other room. Yuffie tried to protest. Cloud grabbed her arm and dragged her away.  
  
"I think YOU have an attitude problem!" a girl's voice screamed.  
  
"Yeah! Well you're a-" another voice shot back, but Cloud interrupted.  
  
"Hey!" Cloud screamed. "What the hell is going on in here? Can't leave for 2 minutes…"  
  
"She started it!" Tifa said crossing her arms.  
  
"Now who's acting childish?" Cid said smirking. Tifa glared at him.  
  
"What happened Caleb?" Cloud asked. He figured since he didn't know anyone, he wouldn't take sides.  
  
"Well…this young lady," he motioned to Kali, "was suggesting something, and this girl," he motioned to Tifa, "didn't like it, so she gave her an attitude, and then the redhead came right back with a bigger attitude, and it grew from there." He explained. Cloud frowned.  
  
"Right…well, lets all calm down. We'll get on the Highwind, and go to Cosmo…or where Cosmo was…whatever." He shook his head and walked outside leaving everyone to follow. Red and Orion stayed behind.  
  
"Oh…I hate flying…" Yuffie whined.  
  
"It's a short trip, just deal." Cid told her.  
  
"Yeah, yeah" she said, getting on the ship. She sat down in against the guard rail of the open deck, holding her stomach. The newbies, Kali and Caleb walked below deck with Cid, Cloud, Barret and Tifa. Vincent walked to the other side of the deck. The ship took off. Yuffie stared as Vincent watched the trees, mountains and water pass by. Cid was flying slowly to make an easier landing on such a short trip. Yuffie stumbled to her feet, and walked over to Vincent.  
  
"Um…" she suddenly felt nervous, "I'm sorry about squeezing your arm earlier, I didn't realize I was holding you that tight."  
  
"No apologies needed," he said without looking at her, "You were frightened."  
  
"Yeah…" she said. "Do you hate me?"  
  
"No." he said simply. It was hard trying to get him to talk. But she was determined.  
  
"How come your so quiet all the time?" she asked him.  
  
"I do not speak unless I feel it is needed." He spoke properly too. No slang, not even contractions.  
  
"Why is that?" She asked, he just shrugged.  
  
"Well…don't be quiet around me." She told him. "Talk to me."  
  
"I do not have much to say." She felt the sickness in her stomach. She sat down, moaning.  
  
"Oh I hate flying."  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked looking at her, finally.  
  
"Fine…I just get sick, that's all."  
  
"I see…" she could see he didn't know what to do. It was like he was searching for something in his head that wasn't there. "Anything I can do?" he asked after a long silence. It made her smile.  
  
"Well…if you would talk, it would give me something to take my mind off of my sickness." She wasn't lying. It really would help.  
  
"I shall try." He said sighing. "What do you want me to say?" Yuffie laughed.  
  
"See…that's the fun in listening. You say what you want."  
  
"This is awkward." He said frowning. She smiled. She could see how it was awkward for him. Being forced to talk probably made him nervous about doing it.  
  
"Just tell me more about you. You know about yourself don't you?"  
  
"What would you like to know?" he asked, crouching down beside her.  
  
"Well…" she thought for a moment. "They said something like, you stopped aging at 27 because of something Hojo did…" He nodded. "So…will you look like this forever?"  
  
"Yes." He said looking down. "I will live a lot longer than most people as well."  
  
"Hmm… you seem sad. But that doesn't sound like something to be said about."  
  
"To live a long life, full of regrets and sorrow and things you wish to forget and cannot, is like a hell inside your own mind." He said looking back up at her. His eyes filled with pain. Emotion was usually not something you could read on Vincent's face, but right now, it was filled with it. She wanted to help him. She wanted to make his pain go away, but she didn't know how. She was going to say something when the whole ship shook.  
  
"What was that?" she asked. Vincent sat up quickly and looked around. There was something large, flying rapid circles around the ship. He helped her to her feet.  
  
"We must go to Cid." He said. What was going on? 


	3. Chapter 3

1.1.1 Chapter 3  
  
  
  
  
  
Vincent and Yuffie walked to the lower deck.  
  
"Cid what is going on?" Yuffie asked as they entered the room. She got an odd glance from Tifa. She figured it was because of Vincent.  
  
"It's a dragon." Caleb said.  
  
"How the hell can ya tell? It's flying pretty damned fast!" Cid yelled.  
  
"I've worked with them." Caleb answered.  
  
" 'Worked' with them? How do you 'work' with a dragon?" Cloud asked. Yuffie noticed he was standing with Kali. "Tifa must love that." she thought.  
  
"I would drive them away from towns. People would hire me to get rid of them." He explained.  
  
"You killed them? All alone?" Tifa asked.  
  
"Nah. Never killed them. Just got them away from people." He replied. "No one could kill one by himself."  
  
"How the hell do you just MOVE a dragon???" Barret asked in disbelief.  
  
"Loud, high-pitched noises." He said.  
  
"So… I get a loud high-pitched noise, and this dragon will leave?" Cid asked.  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Right." He didn't believe him, but he was going to try it anyway. He set up the loudspeakers to a frequency on the pilot radio that wasn't coming in clear. "Cover your ears." He told them. A loud squeaking noise came from the speakers. The dragon made a loud screeching noise, and began to fly the other direction.  
  
"Well…I'll be damned." Cid said in amazement.  
  
"Told you so." Caleb said smiling. "Didn't believe me, did ya?"  
  
"Not a damned bit." Cid replied. "Well, we're ready to land!" he exclaimed. The ship slowed so that it was almost hovering. Slowly, it lowered. It shook when it hit the ground.  
  
"Alright. Everyone off." Cloud said.  
  
One by one they all marched off the ship. Tifa grabbed Yuffie and walked off with her. "Hey. What are you doing?" Yuffie squealed. "Lemme go!"  
  
"Ssh quiet you." Tifa said.  
  
"I saw your lover-boy with Kali" Yuffie teased. "That must have gotten you REALLY mad, huh?" she giggled.  
  
"Ooh! Shut up!" Tifa yelled. Yuffie laughed some more. "So, what's up with you and Vincent hmm?"  
  
"Nothing." Yuffie blushed.  
  
"Then why are you turning red?" Tifa asked smiling.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Yuffie told her, breaking free of her hold.  
  
"Oh yes you do." Tifa pointed a finger at her, "There's something going on, and I'm going to find out what."  
  
"Right. Whatever you say." Yuffie said winking. She ran off to join the rest of the team. Tifa followed. They looked toward where Cosmo used-to be. Yes, "used-to be."  
  
"Oh my god." Yuffie said.  
  
"He wasn't exaggerating…it really is gone…just…gone." Tifa said.  
  
"Shoulda known, that cat never exaggerates." Barret said. "He's always serious."  
  
"This is horrible." Kali said. They moved closer to where the mountain Cosmo was built in used to be. That was gone too.  
  
"What is that smell?" Yuffie said.  
  
"Some kind of chemical." Cloud said.  
  
"There's blue stuff all over the place." Caleb said. "Its like a powder." Kali walked in the closest. The ground was soft, and littered with a blue substance. She saw something ahead of her.  
  
"Oh my god, you guys, come and look at this." She yelled. Everyone made their way over to her. Nothing could have prepared them for what they saw. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
  
  
  
  
The group stared down at the ground. No one spoke. They were looking at a small hole in the ground. It wouldn't have been important, except for what was in the hole. It looked like a city! A whole city under the ground. There was a blue gas seeping up into the air, and turning into a powder. The wind spread it all over.  
  
"Well, that's what the blue stuff is." Yuffie said making a face.  
  
She stared down into the hole. She could see a street, made of stone, a cobblestone road. Off to the sides she could see buildings, large buildings, small buildings, medium-sized buildings. There was no sign of any people.  
  
She noticed that everything had a blue tint to it. "Everything looks blue down there." She stated plainly.  
  
"It's the gas." Kali said, "The whole place is full of it."  
  
"So, now what do we do?" Tifa asked, not taking her eyes off the street below them.  
  
"We need better equipment. We don't know what that stuff is, it could be poisonous, and we have to be careful." Kali explained.  
  
Yuffie walked over to Vincent and Cid. "So. After we get equipment, then what?" She looked to Kali for an answer.  
  
"Nothing tonight." she said running a hand through her deep auburn hair. "Morning. We wait till morning, then we go down."  
  
"Down? Are you jokin' or what?" Barret exclaimed.  
  
"What else can we do?" Cloud asked him. Barret just shrugged. "Right. So," Cloud continued, "Where are we going for equipment?" Kali thought for a moment. She looked up to Cloud,  
  
"Why don't you and I go get some things, and have the rest head back? It wont take us long, it's silly for the whole group to go." Tifa glared at her.  
  
"Fine, that sounds like a plan." he replied.  
  
"Oh! Cloud! I want new materia, I'll meet you guys back at Vincent's, okay?" Yuffie yelled.  
  
"Yuffie," Cloud started, "Your not going alone."  
  
"Aw, c'mon, I'll be fine!"  
  
"That's now what I'm worried about." Cloud replied.  
  
"Your a thief Yuffie." Tifa said.  
  
"Am not!" Yuffie yelled crossing her arms. "Well...maybe..."  
  
"Can someone go with her?" Cloud asked. The group looked away from him. "Come on you guys, you know we can't let her go alone." The group just started toward the Highwind. All but Vincent. "Vincent," Cloud sighed, "Do you think you could-"  
  
"Fine." He said before Cloud could finish.  
  
"Thanks, I owe you." Vincent nodded once in agreement. Cloud laughed, Yuffie just muttered something under her breath and walked to the Highwind.  
  
Cid dropped Yuffie, Vincent, Kali, and Cloud off in Junon.  
  
"Okay, go get what you need, meet us back at the landing pad in about an hour alright?" Cloud told Yuffie. Then he looked to Vincent and added quietly; "Don't take your eyes off her for a second." He nodded, and followed Yuffie, who was already heading to the materia shop.  
  
"This place is big." Yuffie said looking around. Vincent just nodded. "So, whaddya think of Kali?"  
  
"She's hiding something." He said.  
  
"Yeah? Like what?"  
  
"Could be anything." He said shrugging.  
  
"Well. I don't like her. I don't think Tifa's to fond of her either." Yuffie told him.  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh. Here's the place I wanna go." She said walking into a small shop. She picked up a few things, healing materias and basic spells; fire, ice, etc. Vincent saw her hand go to her pocket.  
  
"Yuffie." He scolded.  
  
"What?" she said innocently.  
  
"Put it back, or buy it." He said firmly.  
  
"Put what back?" she asked. He glared at her. She sighed and reached a hand into her pocket. She pulled out a revive materia. "Maybe if they didn't price these things so damn high people would buy them." She grumbled. She placed it back where she got it.  
  
"Give me the ones you want." He instructed.  
  
"What? I will pay for them, I promise, you don't hafta confiscate them!"  
  
"Just give me them." He said holding out his hand. She made a noise somewhat like a growl, and handed them over.  
  
He walked over to the counter and paid the shopkeeper. Then he turned and handed them back to Yuffie. She just stared at him. He walked out of the shop and onto the street.  
  
"Hey. You didn't have to do that. I really would have paid for them." She said following him.  
  
"I know you would have." He said.  
  
"Then why'd ya pay for them?" she asked.  
  
"I wanted to." He replied.  
  
"Well. Thanks." She said looking up at him. He nodded. "Let's get back and wait for Cloud." She turned to walk, and she saw a familiar face walking into an alley. "Vincent, look." She pointed. "Isn't that-"  
  
"Yes." He said, cutting her off.  
  
"What the hell is he doing here? And why isn't he dead?" 


	5. Chapter 5

1.1.1 Chapter 5  
  
  
  
  
  
"So, Should we follow?" Yuffie asked.  
  
"Why not." Vincent replied. They walked into the alley they had seen the man go into only a minute earlier. They saw him. Leaning against the wall of one of the buildings, his face surrounded by a cloud of smoke, the only thing you could see was the glowing red end of his cigarette.  
  
"So. You did see me." He said.  
  
"Yeah…kinda hard ta miss ya with that bright red hair of yours." Yuffie said, putting a hand on her hip.  
  
"So, you come to start trouble with me?" The man asked.  
  
"You don't want me to start trouble!" Yuffie exclaimed, punching the air. "I'd knock you out!" The man laughed.  
  
"That's cute." He said.  
  
"I know I am." She said. "But I can still kick your ass. But, that's not why I'm here."  
  
"So, why are you here?" The man asked getting off the wall.  
  
"Well-"  
  
"Reno!" a voice yelled from behind them. Yuffie turned around to look; Cloud and Kali were standing at the entrance of the alley.  
  
"Oh, now this is getting interesting." Reno said smirking.  
  
"As I was just about to ask, before I was rudely interrupted!" Yuffie turned to glare at Cloud. "Why aren't you dead?"  
  
"Yeah, after that explosion in Midgar, I thought you were long gone." Cloud added.  
  
"It aint that easy to kill a Turk, well, not this one anyway." Reno said throwing his cigarette to the ground.  
  
"How'd you get out in time?" Yuffie asked.  
  
"I ran." He said smiling. "Now if you'll excuse me." He turned to walk away.  
  
"What about Rude and Elena?" Cloud asked.  
  
"I don't know. If they made it out, I'd imagine I would know about it. I haven't seen either of them." Reno said. He didn't turn back around.  
  
Yuffie noticed Kali was practically hiding behind Cloud. Her head was down; you could barely see her. She elbowed Vincent. When he looked down at her, she motioned toward Kali.  
  
"Well, See ya 'round Cloud." Reno said, and walked away.  
  
"That was strange." Cloud said scratching the back of his head.  
  
"Yeah, It sure was." Yuffie said, still looking at Kali.  
  
"Let's head back and wait for Cid." Cloud said. He and Kali began walking. Yuffie and Vincent walked slowly to distance themselves.  
  
"I think your right Vincent. She's definitely hiding something." Yuffie said quietly.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Back At Shinra Mansion.  
  
"I cannot believe that stupid little-"  
  
"Hey girlie, calm down." Caleb told Tifa.  
  
"I am calm!" she screamed at him.  
  
"Then I'd hate to see you angry…" he muttered.  
  
They were standing in the Main room of Shinra Mansion. The others were scattered around in different rooms of the mansion. Tifa was pacing back and forth, and yelling.  
  
"That girl! Oh! I can't take it!" She screamed.  
  
"So, Your mad because she's with that Cloud fella right?" Caleb asked.  
  
"He has nothing to do with it!" Tifa yelled back.  
  
"Uh huh…so then why are you mad?"  
  
"Because she…I…" Tifa realized he was right. She was jealous.  
  
"That's a damned good reason." He said smirking.  
  
"Stop teasing me!" She yelled. "I don't know why I'm angry! I just don't like her!"  
  
"Okay." Caleb said. He sat down on a white couch. "Come sit, talk to me, it'll take your mind off her." She walked over and sat down next to him.  
  
"So, how old are you?" he asked her.  
  
"I'm 22." She answered trying to calm down and breathe steadily.  
  
"Yeah? That's cool, I'm 23." He told her.  
  
"Can I ask you something?" Tifa asked, looking at his eyes.  
  
"Anything." He answered smiling.  
  
"Your eyes," she started, "They look like Cloud's, like-"  
  
"People from SOLDIER's eyes?" he suggested. She nodded. "Yeah. Like people who have been exposed to Mako. I don't really know anything about it to tell you the truth. They weren't always like this, but I didn't notice until someone pointed it out. So I'm not sure when, or how, they got like this." She studied his face. He wasn't lying; she could tell. He almost looked sad.  
  
"Strange." She said. "Don't you want to know? Doesn't it drive you crazy that you have no idea what happened?"  
  
"Yeah," he answered laughing. "Thanks for rubbing it in."  
  
"Sorry." Tifa replied, lowering her face.  
  
"No. It's alright." He said, placing a hand on her knee. She looked at him and he smiled.  
  
"So, what do you do?" She asked. He moved his hand.  
  
"Like my job you mean?" she nodded. "Well. I'm a mercenary…uh… that's really all I do, but it keeps me busy. I like to fight, and the pay is good. What about you?"  
  
"My job, huh?" she laughed. "Well, once in a while I'll go with Cloud on a job, a mercenary type job, probably the same type of thing that you do. I want to get enough money to re-open that old inn. I want more people to come to this town. It's so empty. I want a bar in the inn too, that was my old job."  
  
"Bartending?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah, The Seventh Heaven in Midgar." She answered looking down at her feet. Thinking of the old bar made her sad. She missed it.  
  
"Something wrong?" he asked.  
  
"No, it's nothing." She answered.  
  
"Liar." He said. "You can't lie to me. I always know when someone's lying to me." He explained. She didn't believe him.  
  
"Oh yeah?" she challenged, "I've lived in this town since I was kid, am I lying?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Okay. I was happy when Cloud left to join SOLDIER. Am I lying?"  
  
"Yes." He said laughing.  
  
"Fine…"  
  
"Believe me yet?" he asked.  
  
"No." she answered. How could she believe something like that? It was silly.  
  
"I can tell things about people too." He said. "Like. I know that Kali is hiding something from us, or lying about something. I don't know what, but I can just tell." He said.  
  
"Oh really?" she asked skeptically.  
  
"Uh-huh." He said. He turned so far sideways that he had to put one leg up on the couch in front of him. "I know something about you too." He said mischievously.  
  
"Sure you do." She said smiling.  
  
"I do. You wanna know what?" he asked grinning. She shrugged. "Well, even if you don't I'm gonna tell you." He leaned toward her a little; as if he were trying to tell her something he didn't want anyone else to hear, even though they were the only people in the room. "You love him." He said quietly.  
  
"What are you talking about!" she yelled jumping up off the couch. He laughed. "It isn't funny! You are so wrong!"  
  
"Uh-huh. Sure." He said nodding.  
  
"You are! I don't love anybody!" she shot back.  
  
"I know I'm right, and so do you." He said smiling. "I'm going to get Cid so we can pick up Cloud and the others. I'll talk to you later." He said, and walked out of the room.  
  
"The nerve of that guy!" she thought to herself sitting back down on the couch. "Makes me so mad!"  
  
2 Junon  
  
  
  
Yuffie sat down on the ground on the side of the landing pad. Vincent was standing next to her. Cloud and Kali were talking and laughing on the opposite side of the landing pad.  
  
"Oh, she makes me angry! She doesn't want to mess with me!" Yuffie growled,  
  
"I'll take her out! She needs to stop flirting with him!"  
  
"Why does it bother you so much?" Vincent asked looking down at her. He looked confused.  
  
"Because! Tifa likes Cloud, and this damned girl is gonna take him away!" Yuffie exclaimed.  
  
"It isn't your problem." He said.  
  
"Vincent, come down here!" She commanded. He knelt beside her, and she punched him, right in the shoulder. He almost toppled over. "Vincent, you need to understand, Tifa is a friend. If this thing between Kali and Cloud gets serious, it would really upset her. And when a friend is upset, it makes me upset. You understand?" He nodded. She smiled at him and rubbed his shoulder. "Sorry…so," she said trying to change the subject, "I want to know more about you." She told him.  
  
"No, you don't" he answered.  
  
"Oh yes I do!" she yelled. He just looked at her; there was an emotion in his eyes. Was it anger? Sadness? She couldn't tell. She just knew she didn't want it there. She slammed her eyes shut tight and put her head down to avoid it. Had she put her head down to fast? Suddenly she didn't feel to well.  
  
"Yuffie!" she heard someone scream. Cloud? Or was it Vincent? She felt her head hit the ground before losing consciousness.  
  
  
  
  
  
Note: Im getting to the action parts I swear! I stray to far off all the time… Either with detail (that's why I try not to do to much of it) or just things that have nothing to do with anything. It's one of my weak points, hehe, but anyway… 


End file.
